The present invention relates to methods and systems for increasing the likelihood of print job completion.
Often times an individual will have a choice to print a document on one of a number of printing devices that might be connected via a network, such as a company intranet. The individual might simply select an appropriate printer (such as the closest one to them), and send the print job, via their computer, to the printer for printing. If, for some reason, the print job fails (e.g. a paper jam, a toner out condition, or some other problematic operating condition), the individual often does not discover this fact until they attempt to retrieve their print job. When this happens, the individual will typically have to resend the print job to either the same printer (after remedying the operating condition that caused the print job failure), or to another printer. Needless to say, this is undesirable for a number of different reasons. Specifically, having to resend a print job to the same or different printer is inefficient because it wastes printer resources. Additionally, and perhaps more important, resending the print job wastes the time of everyone involved in or affected by the print job failure. For example, for the individual who desires to print the print job in the first place, they must now take the time to resend the print job and gather it when it is done. For others whose print jobs might be sitting in the queue, they may not discover that their print job has not printed until they attempt to retrieve the print job. Accordingly, these individuals will typically have to retry their print jobs or send the print job to another printer.
Additionally, there may be instances when the printed material is voluminous in nature (say for example a 400-page corporate document) and is needed right away. If the initial printer fails, the individual will not typically discover this until they retrieve the document. They must then typically fix the printer and resend the print job, or resend the print job to another printer.
There exists a need to address the above-described problem in a manner that overcomes the inefficiencies that arise when a printing device is unable, for whatever reason, to successfully complete a print job. Accordingly, this invention arose out of concerns associated with addressing the above-described problem.
Methods and systems for increasing the likelihood of print job completion are described. In one embodiment, an automated method is described in which a print job is initiated at a first of multiple printing devices that are communicatively linked with one another. Using the first printing device, the print job is monitored for completion. In the event that the print job is unable to be completed at the first printing device, the printing device automatically attempts to re-route at least a portion of the print job to one or more of the multiple printing devices. In this manner, completion of the print job can be assured.
In another embodiment, an automated method is described in which a print job is initiated at a first of multiple, network-connected printers. The print job is monitored at the first printer and responsive to the first printer detecting a condition that would prevent the print job from being completed, the first printer contacts one or more of the multiple printers to ascertain whether any of the multiple printers can complete the print job. Responsive to locating a printer that can complete the print job, at least a portion of the print job is initiated at the located printer. A user that initiated the print job is then notified of the various locations of the print job.
In yet another embodiment, a system for increasing the likelihood of print job completion comprises a network and multiple printing devices on which one or more print jobs can be initiated. The printing devices are communicatively linked with one another via the network and individually comprise a processor, one or more computer-readable media, and software code resident on the computer-readable media. The software code is executable on the processor to initiate a print job, contact at least one other of the printing devices to ascertain whether any of the contacted printing devices can complete the print job responsive to a condition that would prevent the print job from being completed on the printing device where the print job was initiated, and initiate at least a portion of the print job at another of the printing devices if the printing device appears to be able to complete the print job.